Confessional
Studio album by
Janet Devlin
Released5 June 2020 (2020-06-05)
Recorded2018–20
Genre
Length41:29
LabelInsomnia Music
ProducerJonathan Quarmby
Janet Devlin chronology
Running with Scissors
(2014)		 Confessional
(2020)
Singles from Confessional
  1. "Confessional"
    Released: 2 October 2019
  2. "Saint of the Sinners"
    Released: 15 November 2019
  3. "Honest Men"
    Released: 14 January 2020
  4. "Away with the Fairies"
    Released: 13 March 2020

Confessional is the third studio album by Irish singer-songwriter Janet Devlin. It received a general release via Insomnia Music on 5 June 2020 and marked her first release following the chart success of her second album Running with Scissors almost six years previously.

Background and composition

I’ve definitely matured a lot in the last six years – both musically and personally. I feel like I really found my sound with this album. I don’t think I would’ve been confident enough to try fusing Celtic sounds with pop six years ago. I’m also really glad that I’ve waited, as I’ve done so much personal growth in these past years – so I’ve never felt more ready and supported to put out an honest album such as this.

—Janet Devlin talking to Prelude Press about the album.[1]

Following the success of her second album Running with Scissors, it took Devlin four years to write the material that would eventually form her third album. During that time, she released numerous covers on her YouTube channel, including Ed Sheeran's "I See Fire".[2]

All of the songs were written by Devlin in collaboration with other songwriters including Fiona Bevan, Lauren Aquilina and David Sneddon. The album was produced in its entirety by Jonathan Quarmby.

In 2020, before the album's release, she released an extended play named after the album's third single "Honest Men", which contained the title track and two previously released singles, "Confessional" and "Saint of the Sinners".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Hot Press8/10[3]
The Irish Times[4]
musicOMH[5]

Confessional received generally positive reviews from critics. Tanis Smither of Hot Press stated that Devlin and Quarmby had found "that happy marriage between pop and traditional" and that the album was "an emotional look into an interesting artist".[3] Nick Smith of musicOMH described the music as "a sterling mix of folk, pop and traditional Irish" and Devlin's voice as "beautiful and assertive", concluding that "Confessional is an honest, brave and knowing cathartic journey, dealing with addiction, self-harm, religion and sexuality. This is a captivating and triumphant work of art from the depth of Devlin's heart and soul."[5] In The Irish Times Tony Clayton-Lea said that sometimes the music did not match the lyrical themes of independence and survival, with "the assertiveness of one undermined by the ineffectiveness of the other", but that overall "Devlin delivers a stinging riposte to the music business as an entity and to some people in particular".[4]

Track listing

Album and track metadata and credits adapted from iTunes and Apple Music.[6] All tracks produced by Jonathan Quarmby.[7]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Confessional"
2:02
2."So Cold"
  • Devlin
  • Paul Statham
3:18
3."Saint of the Sinners"
  • Devlin
  • Bradley Mair
  • Jonathan Quarmby
  • Mattheos Herbert Weedon
  • Theodore Geoffrey Weedon
3:53
4."Cinema Screen"
3:44
5."Speak"
3:19
6."Honest Men"Devlin4:04
7."Love Song"
  • Devlin
  • Bevan
  • Quarmby
3:33
8."Big Wide World"
  • Devlin
  • Aquilina
3:13
9."Away with the Fairies"
  • Devlin
  • Statham
3:25
10."Sweet Sacred Friend"
  • Devlin
  • Bevan
  • Quarmby
3:43
11."Holy Water"
  • Devlin
  • Quarmby
3:35
12."Better Now"
3:37
Total length:41:29

Personnel

All credits adapted from Qobuz.

  • Janet Devlin – vocals
  • Jonathan Quarmby – producer, piano, programming, mixing engineer, guitar, bass guitar, low whistle, keyboards, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Brian Fleming – bodhrán, percussion
  • Nathan Thomas – backing vocals
  • Peter Brown – accordion
  • Eoin Dillon – uilleann pipes, whistle
  • Daniel Bingham – drums
  • Michael Giverin – guitar, mandolin, bouzouki
  • Anna Mary Donaghy – fiddle
  • Gav Skeggs – backing vocals
  • Paul Statham – cello, programming
  • Ian Burdge – cello
  • Anna Phoebe McElligott – violin
  • Richard Walker – guitar, harp, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Grace Davies – backing vocals
  • Oscar Golding – guitar
  • Nick Ereaut – double bass
  • Rick Chambers – backing vocals
  • Jim Molyneux – backing vocals
  • Esme Allen-Quarmby – backing vocals
  • Poppy Allen-Quarmby – backing vocals
  • Harry Harrington – backing vocals
  • Sam Odiwe – bass guitar
  • Floriane Blancke – harp
  • Marc Rapson – backing vocals

References

  1. ↑ "Janet Devlin Opens up on Her Upcoming Album, "Confessional": "I Just Wanted to Finally Disclose the Real Version of Myself to Everyone"". 3 February 2020.
  2. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: I See Fire - Ed Sheeran (Janet Devlin cover). YouTube.
  3. 1 2 Smither, Tanis (5 June 2020). "Album Review: Janet Devlin – Confessional". Hot Press. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  4. 1 2 Clayton-Lea, Tony (5 June 2020). "Janet Devlin: Confessional – Former X Factor finalist's music biz takedown". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Nick (1 June 2020). "Janet Devlin – Confessional". musicOMH. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  6. ↑ "Confessional by Janet Devlin". May 2020.
  7. ↑ "Album Confessional, Janet Devlin | Qobuz: Download and streaming in high quality".
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